Access to Capital

Find me the money

Feb 1, 2014

Raising capital is an essential component of business growth, and the old saw in Alberta is that it can be easy enough to raise capital if you’re in the familiar and safe world of oil and gas, but that those in other sectors aren’t so lucky. But the results of this survey suggest that things aren’t quite so bad. For instance, companies in the technology sector – one that is often held up as the poster-boy of the above-mentioned phenomenon – reported mildly positive sentiments about their access to capital (scoring 4.56 out of seven, behind only the oil and gas industry and, leading the way, construction).

Survey Says

Likewise, small companies showed satisfaction with the flow of money, with even the very smallest (one to five employees) generally agreeing that they are able to find enough venture capital and private equity (scoring a 4.57 out of seven).

But one thing is sure across the board: the business people in this province think this is a good place to invest. The average score on that question was 6.01, one of the most positive responses in the entire survey.

You Said It

“Venture capital and private equity is readily available in the clean tech and energy sectors, but woefully inadequate in the non-energy technology sector. In addition, specific funds that have been set up by the Alberta Government to try and encourage investment in technology often go to the same firms which are receiving VC and PE monies from the larger firms, rather than distribute it over a larger number of target companies.”
– Matthew Protti, President And CEO, Blacksquare